The world suffered an unspeakable tragedy on Monday when Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France caught on fire due to unknown causes. The cathedral was built in the eleventh century and has been a symbol of Christian faith for hundreds of years, so millions of people all over the world were devastated as the fire quickly grew out of control.

The fire kept burning for hours as the world watched, and by nightfall, the night sky was lit up by the flames. Thousands of onlookers gathered outside of the cathedral as it burned, with one of them being journalist Ignacio Gil, who captured a powerful, impromptu moment when bystanders began to sing together.

The video below shows thousands of strangers gathering to sing the hymn “Ave Maria” as Notre Dame burned. Sung in french, the hymn is a Catholic prayer called “Je vous salue Marie,” which translates to “Hail Mary.”

In the end, the prayers of these onlookers were answered, as firefighters were able to eventually get the fire under control. Once the dust settled, it was revealed that much of the structure of the cathedral miraculously survived. On top of that, many priceless artifacts like the crown of thorns that Jesus Christ wore survived the blaze as well.

This just goes to show how powerful prayer really is, and how resilient the Notre Dame Cathedral has always been. This church has survived for hundreds of years, and after this fire, it will continue to survive for many more to come.

Check out the powerful hymn for yourself below.

Ave Maria pic.twitter.com/lb6Y5XV05a

— Ignacio Gil (@Inaki_Gil) April 15, 2019